DD’s blood test results “abnormal”. AIBU to be worried??

[MyRareCritic]

DD has had a range of medical issues, mainly gastroparesis that affected her long term, resulting in weight loss. Alongside this, she has had many other issues and we have been looking into some lingering joint pain that has been affecting her for quite a long time. The GP organised some blood tests and I called up to see if the results were ready.

I was told by the receptionist that there are a few abnormal results so I need to talk to the GP. I will be speaking to the GP tomorrow. I asked if it is anything serious and they said they can’t say.

I am obviously now very worried about what this could be. The fact they said “a few” are abnormal has concerned me.

I am really struggling with “what if” scenario is running wild and hoping for a handhold.

I tried to reassure myself by the fact I didn’t automatically receive a phone call, but I’ve no idea if that means anything. The tests were done on Monday morning.

Im very grateful for any support.

There is abnormal and something is wrong.

I'm 5ft 0, that is abnormal for a fully grown woman, that is not an indication something is wrong.

Try not to worry.

If there is something wrong, it is already wrong and you are only waiting for confirmation.

I know this is logically true, but it’s so hard not to be worried.

Not necessarily, if it was anything seriously urgent you'd have been given a hospital referral or appointment. In person, maybe they just want to have a longer discussion. Is DD a child? Maybe they want to speak to you both, which is trickier on a phone.

I appreciate that if it was serious, we would likely receive a hospital referral. For instance, if her results indicated arthritis, I would imagine that would trigger something.

You would know if it was urgent

things I’ve had routine appointments/letters/calls about - low iron, low vitamin D
when my bloods were badly out they rang me in the evening and told me to go to hospital, it was about 6hrs after they did the bloods

That sounds like a good sign to me, that's nearly a week away.

Also, try to calm your anxiety by reframing things. It’s good that at last the GP has some information that will help them in deciding next steps/treatment. So this could be good news for DD if it means she’s a step closer to feeling better.

Of course you are not being unreasonable. I can't believe so many people have voted that you are. She's your child, your baby, no matter how old she gets. It's absolutely dire feeling/knowing something is wrong and not yet having answers as to how you can fix it.

The bare minimum any parent ever wants for their child is a happy, pain-free, healthy life.

Hoping for the absolute best outcome for you, OP.

How old is your DD?

Just wanted to add, is she very flexible/does she bruise easily/has she ever had any dislocations?

Gastroparesis and joint issues can be signs of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS).

I’ve mentioned EDS to multiple doctors and it’s been dismissed. In fairness, she used to be hypermobile, but she has become less flexible in the last year, so I think she has grown out of that.

Receptionists at our gp are not able to give detail on the results. I think once reviewed the notes say if normal or not and that is all they can say. They are not qualified to say anything else.

They may want face to face to be able to do some form of physical examination, after knowing what the bloods said. I went for physio- they had a detailed explanation of the issues, snd an x ray of my knees. As i expected they still felt and manipulated the joint to get a better understanding.

I would see 5hat they have given a routine appointment as a good thing.

I’ve seen my recent blood test online and tbh it’s all gobbledegook to me. I can’t interpret the data.

OP, I’ve had a few problems over the last couple of years and have regular blood tests. Normally if there’s anything urgent the GP will call themselves, or you’d get a call/text from reception advising of a phone call. Hope everything is OK.

My results a couple of years ago indicated markers for rheumatoid arthritis and I was routinely referred to rheumatology clinic where they confirmed the diagnosis with more blood tests and treatment was started quite quickly.

Thank you. We’re you informed of the referral as soon as the results were received by the practice?

I had to have a face to face appointment after an "abnormal" blood test result. It was just to get iron tablets because I was anemic. Luckily I do have the app so was able to see what it was beforehand. It is so frustrating how vague they are on the phone, try not to fret too much

Thanks Frangle.

Sorry OP, should have been a bit more specific. I had a phone call from the surgery to say there were some abnormal results which the GP wanted to discuss with me. They gave me a face to face appointment within a few days and GP advised that the markers in the initial blood tests were abnormal but inconclusive - they suggested rheumatoid arthritis but there would have to be more tests to confirm. The referral was made to the rheumatologist who carried out the tests, confirmed the diagnosis and arranged for treatment to start. The timescale was around 6-8 weeks if I remember rightly.

Edited to add that if it does turn out to be RA, the treatments options are much better than they used to be. I’m on methotrexate and naproxen, and it’s pretty much in remission for now. If your DD is still experiencing some joint pain, I’ve found over the counter Voltarol to be really helpful.

Because they're her results. Unless we're talking about an under 10 or a child without the understanding of the average primary school child, in which case the doctor would probably still like/need to see her in order to check any observations in the light of the results, it's so that she understands her own medical information.

Thanks @NeverDropYourMooncup - hoping it’s this.